he California State Fairgrounds
were used as a mobilization camp during both the 1916 Mexican
Border Crisis and for World War I.
World War
II
The former California State Fairgrounds
is located on 155.91 acres situated east of the intersection of
Stockton and Broadway, Sacramento, California. The Army leased
154.91 acres from Sacramento County and 1.0 acre from Sacramento
City from 1941 to 1943.
The site was known as the Sacramento State
Fairgrounds and the California State Fairgrounds. It initially
was used as the Sacramento
Advanced Communications Zone Depot (later Sacramento Signal
Depot) and then as an auxiliary storage area for McClellan
Field. The site was under Army control only during the period
of the lease. Fairgrounds buildings were used for storage, and
$65,000 worth of Army construction was built. All buildings reverted
back to the original owners upon the termination of the lease.
Records for this site are not complete.
Two forms related to disposal were found: a Control File Summary
and Real Property Management and Disposal Report. The Control
File Summary is not dated, but lists dated information in the
"Remarks" portion. The lease, No. W-04-1 93-Eng-1577,
was meant to supersede W-868-Eng-1788 dated 12-24-41 through
6-30-43. The lease of 54.91 acres was terminated in fiscal year
1947. The Real Property Management and Disposal Report dated
15 Nov 1946 lists termination as a Cancellation of Leased Property.
No mention of restoration can be found. The current ownership
is comprised of several individual homeowners, the University
of California, and the city of Sacramento.
